Bicycle-support.



N0. 643,566. Patented Feb. l3, I900.

E J TIERNEY BICYCLE SUPPORT.

(Applx u m a s pl: 26 1898) (No Model.)

n O t n e v n NITED TATES PATENT FFICE.

EDYVARD J. TIERNEY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TO AUGUST P. WEITZ AND CHARLES ENGLERT, JR, OF SAME PLACE.

BICYCLE-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,566, dated February 13, 1900. Application filed September 26, 1898. Serial No. 691,930. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. TIERNEY, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bicycle-Supports; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to devices for sustaining bicycles in vertical position when left by the rider, and has for its object to provide a device that is simple and light and one that may be readily attached to and carried upon the frame of the machine without inconvenience to the rider; and to these ends it consists in the improved construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of ladies and gentlemens bicycles, showing the operation of the support and its modification as applied to the two types of machines; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the device detached; Fig. 4, a modification; Fig. 5, a sectional view taken on the line m m of Fig. 3.

Similar reference-numerals indicate similar parts.

The device consists of a frame or clip adapted to be detachably connected to the lower portion of the frame of a bicycle and embodying guides for the passage of supporting-legs, which are connected and moved relatively by spring action, so that they will be automatically locked when extended to support the bicycle. In the present embodiment the legs (indicated by 1) consist of metal rods, connected at the upper end by aspring portion or loop 2, preferably formed integral therewith, said spring normally tending to separate the legs and also operating to cause the engagement of the inclined locking surfaces or shoulders 3 at the end of the loop with the supportingclip and hold the support extended with the legs on the ground and spread laterally to support the bicycle in a vertical position. The inner sides of the eyes in the clip being farther apart than the space between the said shoulders 3, the legs as they are moved through the eyes are allowed to separate, and the shoulders also being separated somewhat against the tension of the spring are thereby caused to engage with the inner sides of the eyes and hold the legs in extended position. The clip is adapted to surround the tube 4 of the lower portion of the bicycle-frame and in the present construction is formed of two pieces with the barrel portion formed by the rings 5, as shown. Mounted in the top of the clip is a revoluble stud 6, held from lateral movement by a collar 7 thereon lying in a recess between the proximate faces of the clip members. Formed on the ends of the stud are slightly-elongated apertures or eyes 8, through which the legs or supports 1 operate.

10 indicates arms in the form of hooks extending from the lower portion of the clip directly beneath the stud and adapted when the supports or legs are in the operative position to limit their separation and to prevent their turning on the pivot.

' In the form of support particularly adapted for use upon a gentlemans bicycle, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, I omit the revoluble stud and apply the stationary arms 15 upon the top of the clip, having the aperturesfor the supporting-legs and the loops or arms 16 at the bottom provided with the slots or elongated apertures 17. Pivoted centrally on the arms 15 is a catch 18, having hooks 19 upon each end and adapted to swing around and engage with the upper ends of the legs 1 to lock them securely in the extended position. The looking of the parts together and holding the legs or supports extended in operated position is accomplished byspring-pressure of the shoulders 3 at the ends of the loop 2 between the upper ends of the legs. The latter as they are pushed down are separated by the spring and guide-eyes, and when nearly their full downward movement is accomplished a further movement in the same direction through the apertures 8 will cause the inclined surfaces or shoulders 3 (formed at the end of the loop 2) to engage the inner and lower edges of the slots in the stud and become locked. This locking movement is caused by making the space between the shoulders 3 a trifle smaller than the distance between the inner sides of the slots or guide-eyes 8, and as the hooks 1O prevent further separation of the lower portion of the legs the shoulders 3 will be separated by the downward movement and will spring together below the guide-eyes, as shown in Fig. 5. The frictional engagement between these parts secures the legs firmly in the extended and operative position. (Shown particularly in Fig. 5.)

Vhen the rider desires to use the bicycle, the supporting-legs are drawn upward, and as the spring-loop recedes from the guides 8 and 10 the latter will cause the legs to approach until approximately parallel, when they can be tilted back upon the revoluble stud (i, the lower ends of the legs passing out of the openings in the hook-arms 10. The operation of my device as applied to a gentlemans bicycle differs from that just described in that the supporting-legs do not pivot to turn out of engagement with the loops 16, but. move directly upward. To secure the supportinglegs when elevated,I provide ahook or catch 22 to be applied to the upper portion of the frame and adapted to receive the loop 2 and retain the supporting-legs when not in use. 23 indicates a collar placed upon one or both of the legs near the lower extremities to prevent them from being removed from the clip.

This device as a whole is very simple and cheap in construction, embodying only three or, at most, four parts, which are easily formed and may be applied to any style of bicycle, and when so applied enables the user to support the bicycle in vertical position, the base formed by the wheels and legs being sufficiently broad to prevent accidental overturning.

By making the legs of asingle piece of material with the loop at the end I am enabled toform the spring integral with them, and this construction I prefer, although the desirable feature is their relative movement caused by spring action to lock them whether the spring is integral or not. The spring serves the additional function of preventing rattling in the clip, and the loop forms a handle for the convenient manipulation.

I claim as my invention 1. In a support for bicycles, the combination with the clip adapted to be secured to a bicycle-frame and having upper and lower guide-eyes for each support, of the supporting-legs vertically movable through the eyes and formed of a single piece of spring metal with the loop at the upper portion, and shoulders at the ends of the loop adapted when the supports are in an operative position to engage with the upper guide-eyes on each support.

2. In a support for bicycles, the combination with the clip adapted to be secured to a bicycle-frame and having pivoted guides thereon, and the stationary hooks, of the laterally-extensible supporting-legs connected at their upper ends and provided with shoulders adapted to engage with the eyes and hold the supports extended when in operative position.

3. In a support for bicycles, the combination with the clip adapted to be secured to a bicycle-frame and having the pivoted guides thereon, and the stationary hooks, of the laterally-extensible supporting-legs connected at their upper ends and movable longitudinally through said guides and hooks and adapted to be swung into and out of engagement with the hooks.

4. In a support for bicycles, the combination with the two-part clip adapted to be clamped to abieycle-frame, having the hooks thereon, and the bolt swiveled to said clip, having the eyes in its ends, of the laterallymovable supporting-legs connected at their upper ends and extending through said eyes and adapted to be swung into and out of engagement with the hooks.

5. In a support for bicycles, the combination with the two-part clip adapted to be attached to a bicycle-frame, and the rotatable bolt having the eyes at the end, and the central collar arranged between the parts of the clip, of the supporting-legs connected at their upper ends and vertically movable through the guide-eyes on the bolt.

EDWARD J. TIERNEY.

Vitnesses:

AUGUST P. WEITZ, G. W. RICH. 

